Cardiovascular outcomes data
We track outcomes data and report it to several national and professional registries. Highlights from several of our heart and vascular programs include the following:
Cardiothoracic surgery
Among 220 isolated CABG patients, our 2018 outcomes include:
- An operative mortality rate of 0.45% (compared to 2.38% nationally)
- A prolonged ventilation rate of 3.64% (compared to 8.07% nationally)
- Major morbidity rates — including operative mortality, reoperation, renal failure, stroke, prolonged ventilation and wound infections — were 7.27% (compared to 12.58% nationally)
Congenital cardiology
- Our rate of major discrepancies in fetal echocardiography is 0.3%. This includes non-reporting of a major anomaly, shunt or an intra- or extra-cardiac mass which would affect patient care.
- Our major morbidity or mortality rates among infants with ductal-dependent congenital heart disease, between the times of delivery and transfer to tertiary care, are 0%.
Congestive heart failure
- Our 30-day heart failure-to-heart failure readmission rate is 1.62% (compared to an average of 4.12% among a cohort of more than 3,600 participating U.S. hospitals).
- Our 30 day all-cause readmission rate is 19.9% (compared to a national average of 21.6%).
- When tracking adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy, our rates are higher than the national average. This includes adherence to beta blockers (96.6% vs. 91.9%), RAAS inhibition (98.2% vs. 91.9%) and ACE/ARB inhibition (98.2% vs. 92.2%).
- Our Impella mortality rate among patients with cardiogenic shock is 41% (compared to the national average of 50%).
Interventional cardiology
- Our PCI risk-adjusted mortality rate is 1.80 (compared to the U.S. median of 2.03). This places us in the 90th percentile nationally.
- Our radial access use is 72.55%, which is significantly higher than the U.S median of 45.03%.
- Our median time for PCI STEMI patients is 38 minutes (compared to the U.S. median of 59 minutes). This places us in the 98th percentile.
- Our composite AMI performance also places us in the 98th percentile nationally.
Vascular and endovascular surgery
- Our technical success rate among 446 procedures is 94%
- Our major complication rate, including major bleeding or access issues, is 1% (compared to the national average of 2%)
Vein and vascular center
Among 145 vein procedures performed in 2020, including endovenous laser treatment (EVLT), ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy and phlebectomy:
- Our rate of major complications — including bleeding, high grade endothermal heat-induced thrombosis (EHIT) and mortality — is 0%.
- Only six patients had minor complications. These included low grade EHIT, headache and one partial closure after RM EVLT (in a patient who was noncompliant with compression).
Electrophysiology
Among 128 ablations performed on patients with persistent atrial fibrillation — 20% of whom had a previous ablation or Maze surgery — our 2018 outcomes include:
- 64% achieved normal sinus rhythm and are off antiarrhythmic drugs, while 11% who achieved normal sinus rhythm are on antiarrhythmic drugs
- 8% of patients have improved paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF)
- 6% of patients needed a repeat ablation
- Our mortality rate after one year is 4.7%
Among 177 ablations in patients with PAF — 19% of whom had had a prior ablation — our 2018 outcomes include:
- 64% achieved normal sinus rhythm and are off antiarrhythmic drugs, while 16% who achieved normal sinus rhythm are on antiarrhythmic drugs
- 6% of patients have improved PAF
- 8% of patients needed a repeat ablation
- 3% of patients have persistent Afib while 2.8% have permanent Afib
- Our mortality rate after one year is 2.2%
Structural heart disease
- Our 30-day, all-cause mortality rate among TAVR patients is 2%, while 1% experienced stroke within 30 days
- Our 30-day mortality and stroke rates for patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve repair using the MitraClip device are 0%
- Our 30-day mortality and stroke rates for patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement are also 0%
- Our post-procedure mortality and stroke rates among patients undergoing patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defect closures are 0%
Awards and Accreditations
Our cardiovascular physicians and programs are routinely recognized by independent organizations such as the Joint Commission, the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons:
- American College of Cardiology (ACC). In addition to earning the ACC’s Chest Pain Accreditation, we were the first in Virginia to receive its Atrial Fibrillation Accreditation.
- IBM Watson Health. Lynchburg General Hospital has been named by Watson as one of the 50 top cardiovascular hospitals in the country. We’ve received this distinction more times than any other health system in Virginia.
- Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. We’ve earned individual accreditations for echocardiography, vascular studies and nuclear studies.
- Joint Commission. We hold Advanced Heart Failure Certification as well the distinguished Disease-Specific Care Certification for acute myocardial infarction.
- Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). Our bariatric surgery program’s MBSAQIP accreditation is considered the gold standard in the field.
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Our adult cardiac surgery program has a three-star rating — the highest available — from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Centra is the only healthcare system in Virginia that’s received a star rating every year since STS launched its public reporting program.
Additional accolades
We’re proud to provide a safe, high-quality experience for any patient who turns to us for cardiovascular care:
- Centra is nationally recognized for heart attack care. Our average door-to-balloon time of 38 minutes (compared to the national goal of 90 minutes) places us in the top 2% among U.S. hospitals.
- Among our most recent 10,000 patient satisfaction surveys, more than 90% of respondents said they would recommend our facilities and providers to others.
- All of our cardiology providers have an average 4.8 out of 5 stars rating from our most recent patient experience surveys.
